The chief of the state-run National Medical Center found himself in hot water on Monday over a cough-like gesture he made a day earlier on a TV program that discussed the new coronavirus, which has infected 27 people here. President Chung Ki-hyun allegedly made a fist and coughed into his left hand, against the advice of the country’s health protection agency. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends coughing into one’s sleeve to help stop the spread of germs.

Home to the presidential office and Seoul Government Complex comprising key government offices, the Jongno District in central Seoul has been a symbolic seat in the political landscape. The election results there have proven to be a yardstick on where rival parties stand for the next president. In the upcoming parliamentary elections in April, the district will once again serve as a key battlefield for liberals and conservatives, as Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Chairm

The US has not given up on the nuclear talks with North Korea, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday, referring to his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a day earlier. During his two-day visit to the US for the first time since taking office two months ago, the UN nuclear watchdog chief said his agency will undertake a reliable, independent verification process once Washington and Pyongyang reach a deal on denuclearization

A cybercriminal syndicate believed to be linked to the North Korean government breached the Singapore-based DragonEx exchange and stole $7 million worth of cryptocurrencies in March 2019, Radio Free Asia said Wednesday. Hackers of the Lazarus Group withdrew cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ripple and Litecoin, RFA said, citing findings released by US-based blockchain firm Chainalysis. The group created a fake company offering an automated trading bot with a fabricated website and employees,

North Korea has temporary halted the repatriation of defectors from China, days after it suspended all train and air travel from and to the neighboring country, whose central city of Wuhan is the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 360 lives so far, Voice of America said Monday. “From what I hear, Pyongyang isn’t accepting defectors. It asked Beijing not to (send them back) because of the recent coronavirus outbreak,” South Korean pastor Kim Sung

The Ministry of National Defense said Sunday that its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit salvaged an Iranian boat drifting near Oman’s Muscat Port on Saturday. The 50-ton small oil vessel named Alsohail departed from Iran two weeks ago on Jan. 18. It was low on fuel and had been drifting, when the Cheonghae Unit spotted six crew members signaling for rescue on the deck. The unit, which has recently seen its operational range extended to cover the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, provided the Iranian

The South Korean government should make public the records involving three soldiers’ alleged role in a civilian massacre during the Vietnam War, Seoul’s Administrative Court ruled Friday. In a second trial ruling on the matter instigated by a local civic group against Seoul’s spy agency, which holds the records, the court ordered their release after redacting the soldiers’ dates of birth. Korean soldiers allegedly killed 74 locals in 1968 during the war according to the

North Korea has suspended all travel from and to China starting Jan. 31, UK’s Foreign Ministry said Friday citing Pyongyang’s latest travel advisories issued a day earlier. “They (the North) have also announced that all air and train routes between North Korea and China are temporarily suspended as of Jan. 31,” the ministry said. The UK Embassy in the North confirmed the news, while the Indian Embassy there said the last flight between the North and China will take place

The US military said it has started notifying nearly 9,000 South Koreans working for United States Forces Korea that they could be put on unpaid leave if Seoul and Washington fail to agree on cost-sharing for the upkeep of 28,500 American troops here. “USFK began providing Korean national employees today with a 60-day notice of a potential administrative furlough that could occur on April 1, 2020,” USFK said Wednesday. It noted that the military was bound by US law to deliver the no

North Korea was holding foreign exchange reserves of between $3 billion and $6.6 billion in 2014, but that dipped heavily after the country came under strict US-led sanctions in 2017, the Bank of Korea said Tuesday in its latest report. The report, which was largely based on estimations and assumptions because analysts lacked data from the isolated country, said the North’s holdings of US dollars may have sharply shrunk since the sanctions -- by an estimated $1 billion each year. The Nor

Satellite imagery has shown vehicle activity at a North Korean missile site on the outskirts of Pyongyang, which could signal the imminent launch of missiles or missile engine tests, CNN said Sunday, citing US defense officials familiar with the latest assessment. Vehicles have been spotted at the missile research center in recent days, but they are not believed to be fueling missiles. The US officials were uncertain whether the North was preparing to launch short or medium-range missiles or en

Cloudy weather, with a chance of rain or snow, is forecast for the coming Seollal holidays from Friday to Tuesday. Throughout the holiday, temperatures in Seoul will be mild, with highs reaching about 7 degrees Celsius on average, the Korea Meteorological Agency said Wednesday. Starting Monday, rain is expected nationwide, with Gangwon Province likely to see either rain or snow. Southern regions and Jeju Island will also see up to 80 millimeters of rain until next Tuesday. Throughout Monday a

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit will expand its operational range to cover the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow body of water between the Persian and Oman Gulf that sees millions of barrels of oil passing through it daily. “Given the heightened tensions in the Middle East, we’ve decided to field the anti-piracy unit to cover those additional areas to protect our people and free passage of our ships,” the ministry said. The unit, whi

South Korea is pressing ahead with its controversial plan to allow individual trips to North Korea by its own citizens, Seoul’s Unification Ministry confirmed Monday, reiterating that the US-led international sanctions in place against the North do not apply to tourism. “We are reviewing options on individual travel to North Korea,” a senior Unification Ministry official said. The ministry handles inter-Korean affairs. The officials said the two Koreas would discuss security

North Korea asked South Korea through the inter-Korean liaison office in December to tear down buildings at the inter-Korean resort town on the east coast near Kumgangsan, Seoul officials familiar with the matter said Thursday. Pyongyang requested Seoul do so by February this year. “I can’t confirm anything at the moment because the matter is under consultation between the two Koreas,” one official said. “On the matter of the resort, our position is that those in charge

South Korea is a sovereign country that dictates its own North Kore policy, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Friday, in response to remarks by US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris that Washington should be consulted on potential cross-border tourism to Pyongyang. “The US has made it clear through many channels that it respects the sovereignty of South Korea, and our North Korea policy falls under that description,” spokesperson Lee Sang-min said at a press briefing. On

All able-bodied men in South Korea must serve in the military for about two years. The duty, which is a reminder that the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, has rarely invited questions about whether soldiers are duly compensated for their service. That now shows signs of change. Both the public and the government are increasingly becoming aware of soldiers’ right to due monetary compensation, shifting away from considering military service as a statutory civi

Restricted military areas in South Korea, concentrated in regions adjacent to Seoul, will be opened up to the public for business development, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Thursday. The areas to be affected are mostly near Seoul in surrounding Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, and cover 77 square kilometers -- roughly 27 times the size of Seoul’s financial district of Yeouido. The areas would include regions as far away as the Chungcheong and Gyeongsang provinces, the party sa

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Tuesday reiterated that South Korea stands fully prepared for any provocation by North Korea, amid growing speculation concerning Pyongyang’s “new strategic weapon.” Appearing on a radio channel operated by the ministry, he said the military is taking the situation seriously and is ensuring watertight military readiness for any emergency. “I’d say this with confidence that we are ready for whatever unfolds.” A week earl

The “new strategic weapon” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned could be an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, Voice of America reported, citing multiple North Korea experts. “I think we could see something like solid fuel ICBM launch from North Korea. That doesn’t actually mean that they developed it by themselves,” Markus Schiller, who is an expert in mechanical and aerospace engineering, told VOA on Wednesday. Schiller said the North would go the